Kael quickly pushed Cherry away by the shoulders, separating her from his body before the situation could get any worse.
"Don’t jump to conclusions, Lizzy! I already explained it back then. Nothing ever happened between us. She’s just the type of person who likes to joke around and tease me!" Kael shouted in a panic, raising both hands.
Cherry, who had been pushed away, pouted slightly before looking Lizzy up and down as the white-haired woman approached with a murderous aura. "Who is this woman, Kael? Are you cheating on me? How cruel!"
"Watch your mouth, idiot!" Kael glared at Cherry, thoroughly irritated by her provocative remark.
However, it seemed that Lizzy’s rationality had already been consumed by the flames of excessive jealousy. "Kael belongs to me alone, you ugly woman!"
"W-what?! Ugly woman?!" Unable to tolerate the insult, Cherry immediately drew her sword from its sheath. "How dare you, old woman! Just look at your graying hair!"
Clang!
Two blades clashed violently in midair, sending sparks flying through the deserted village street. The two women fought without hesitation, unleashing deadly slashes as they each sought to take the other’s life.
Watching the fight, Kael could only let out a long sigh and slap his forehead, his face weary and exhausted.
Meanwhile, the mercenaries standing behind Cherry wore knowing expressions, though their eyes betrayed an overwhelming sense of envy as two extraordinarily beautiful women fought over him.
"Tch, that bastard’s so damn lucky. Who the hell is he, anyway?!" one soldier whispered. "I’ve been serving alongside Captain Cherry for years, and she’s never even hugged me like that!"
"Are you deaf, Vice Captain?" the soldier beside him retorted. "The captain just called him by name... Kael."
The man addressed as the Vice Captain froze for a moment before furrowing his brow. "Kael? I think I’ve heard that name before... Ah, right! He’s one of the mercenaries who helped defeat a three-star Knight from the Vermilion Kingdom! His name is famous among mercenaries because of his insane combat record!"
"He started his career at the age of thirteen," another soldier chimed in, his eyes shining with admiration. "A year later, he managed to slaughter fifty goblins all by himself. At fifteen, he killed a senior mercenary who was far stronger than him. And when he turned eighteen, he was even able to take on twenty experienced mercenaries at once! He’s a real monster!"
Hearing the whispers of praise about his past achievements, Kael, who was standing nearby, simply rubbed his nose and smiled proudly. "Haha, turns out my name is pretty well-known, huh? Not bad."
While Lizzy and Cherry continued slashing at each other until their clothes were torn and their bodies were wounded, Kael casually walked over to the line of mercenaries behind him to strike up a conversation.
"Captain Cherry talks about you quite often, Sir Kael," one of Cherry’s subordinates said warmly. "She told us that you saved her life on the battlefield when you were twenty. You’re truly a gentleman!"
Kael chuckled softly. "Ah, that’s just something any man should do."
"Wow, you’re so cool, Sir!"
"Do you have any advice or tips on how we can become as skilled and strong as you on the battlefield?"
Kael folded his arms across his chest and thought for a moment. "Advice, huh? First, your top priority should be staying alive and constantly learning new things. Second, find companions you can truly trust. And lastly... always be wary of your fellow humans. In this harsh world, you never know when one of your own comrades might stab you in the back, right?" Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
The soldiers nodded solemnly, their eyes shining with admiration. It turned out that the veteran standing before them was quite approachable and more than willing to share his knowledge.
Johan, the vice captain of the group and an ordinary-looking man, awkwardly pointed toward Lizzy and Cherry, who were still fiercely dueling. "Um... Sir Kael, aren’t you going to separate them?"
"Just consider it their way of introducing themselves to each other," Kael replied casually.
However, when he noticed that their movements were beginning to slow from exhaustion, Kael acted with precision. Taking advantage of an opening between their sword strikes, he stepped right into the middle of the fight and grabbed both Lizzy and Cherry by the backs of their collars at the same time!
Swish!
Although the edges of their blades had cut his palms, drawing a small amount of blood, Kael easily lifted both women and held them suspended beneath his arms. With their stamina drained by their emotions, Lizzy and Cherry no longer had the strength to break free from his grip.
Lizzy glared fiercely at Cherry, who was dangling beside her. "Just you wait... I’ll kill you next time, you wretched woman!"
"You’re so annoying! You even managed to hurt Kael! Just who are you, old woman?!" Cherry shot back, refusing to back down.
Lizzy moved to reach for her dagger, but Kael tightened his hold on both women.
"Lizzy, I wasn’t lying back then," Kael sighed wearily. "You always assume the worst."
"See? Even Kael says so, old woman!" Cherry taunted, sticking out her tongue.
Kael then lowered his head to look at Cherry. "You too, Cherry. Use words that won’t cause misunderstandings next time. And stop teasing me!"
Cherry immediately lowered her head, falling silent with a gloomy expression. Seeing this, Lizzy took her turn to flash a smug, victorious smile.
Johan and the rest of his team stared at the scene with their mouths hanging open in amazement.
"It’s not just a rumor... He’s genuinely powerful. No wonder he managed to defeat a three-star Knight," one soldier whispered.
"Even Captain Cherry, who’s usually so fierce, went completely silent when he reprimanded her," another added. "If any of us spoke to her like that, she’d have cut our tongues out by now. The world really is unfair."
Kael set the two women down on the ground, leaving enough distance between them to prevent another confrontation.
Cherry folded her arms and pouted as she watched Lizzy hurriedly reach for Kael’s hand, which had been injured by the sword earlier.
"Johan! Quickly, get some bandages and wound disinfectant!" Cherry ordered her deputy firmly.
Realizing that Cherry and Lizzy were about to fight over who would treat his wound, Kael gently pulled his hand away, unwilling to provoke another commotion. "There’s no need to go to all that trouble. It’s just a small cut. It’ll heal on its own."
"But, Kael..." Cherry and Lizzy spoke at the same time, both wearing expressions filled with concern and guilt.
Kael turned his gaze away and looked at Cherry and her troops, his expression growing serious once more. "I never expected you to have established your own mercenary group, Cherry. But putting that aside... what exactly happened to this village?"
At his question, Cherry’s expression changed drastically. In a much more formal and firm tone, she replied, "We were just hired by the Vex City Government to investigate this incident. According to the official reports we received, several other settlements in the border region have suffered the same fate, with all their inhabitants mysteriously disappearing. Most likely, this is the work of a group of Dark Mages."
Kael nodded slowly. His initial suspicion had turned out to be right on the mark.
"Hasn’t the Leonheart Kingdom intervened directly?" Kael asked in confusion. "Why is something this serious still being left to the local city government and mercenaries?"
Lizzy listened to their conversation in silence. It seems this really isn’t an ordinary criminal matter...
Cherry shook her head. "I haven’t received any information regarding movements from the royal capital."
Kael furrowed his brow. Something felt wrong. Although the Leonheart Kingdom had only recently won a major war against the Vermilion Kingdom and was occupied with rebuilding its territories, it made no sense for the royal court to turn a blind eye while Dark Mages ran rampant, abducting their own people.
To make sure he understood the true situation, Kael felt he needed to dig deeper.
"In that case... would you mind letting Lizzy and me join your group?" Kael offered.
Cherry’s eyes immediately lit up with delight. "Of course! I’d be absolutely thrilled if you’d join us, Kael!"
Kael then glanced toward the corpse of the soldier Lizzy had slaughtered when they first arrived. He let out a long sigh.
"And... I’m sorry about the soldier who died," Kael said sincerely. "Lizzy can be very difficult to control sometimes. I truly feel guilty for causing one of your subordinates to lose his life."
Kael reached out and placed his hand on top of Lizzy’s head, gently bowing her head along with his own in front of Cherry. "If it’s a matter of financial compensation, I can pay for it. But when it comes to a life... I’m truly sorry, Cherry."
Seeing Kael humble himself so much for the woman beside him, Cherry’s curiosity only grew. Nevertheless, she tried to remain professional.
"There’s no need to feel guilty, Kael," Cherry interjected gently. "They weren’t actually members of my core group. They were escort soldiers assigned to accompany us directly by the Vex City Government."
Cherry stepped closer and studied Lizzy with a probing gaze. "But, Kael... who exactly is this white-haired woman?"